My bright idea + Biology | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/series/my-bright-idea+biology
Indexen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Sun, 02 Aug 2015 20:48:11 GMT2015-08-02T20:48:11Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
Barbara Block: Use apps to save the great white sharkhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/nov/18/barbara-block-sharks-app
Marine biologist Barbara Block has created an app for watching great whites in real time as they swim off the California coast<p>Marine biologist <a href="http://www.topp.org/user/barbarablock" title="">Barbara Block</a> is basedat Stanford University, California, and has pioneered techniques for tracking fish electronically. In the 1990s, she helped set up the programme <a href="http://www.topp.org/" title="Topp: Tagging of Pacific Predators">Topp: Tagging of Pacific Predators</a>. Thousands of large sea creatures, including white sharks and turtles, were fitted with monitors that beamed data about their movements to satellites. The project showed that many of these animals undertake complex migrations, returning to the same spot off the California coast every&nbsp;year.</p><p>Now Block is working on techniques to allow iPad or mobile phone users to watch these great predators in action, to raise awareness about our threatened oceans. Block will be given a<a href="http://www.rolexawards.com/" title=" Rolex award for enterprise"> Rolex award for enterprise</a> next Sunday (25 November). The prize is given every two years for outstanding achievement in science and innovation.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/nov/18/barbara-block-sharks-app">Continue reading...</a>Animal behaviourMarine lifeEndangered speciesWildlifeEnvironmentBiologyScienceAppsTechnologySun, 18 Nov 2012 00:04:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/nov/18/barbara-block-sharks-appBart Michiels/Rolex AwardsBarbara Block on the coast near Monterey, California. She will use her Rolex award to create underwater listening stations that track marine predators. Photograph: Bart Michiels/Rolex AwardsBart Michiels/Rolex AwardsBarbara Block on the coast near Monterey, California. She will use her Rolex award to create underwater listening stations that track marine predators. Photograph: Bart Michiels/Rolex AwardsRobin McKie2012-11-18T00:04:02ZLone Frank: Find out what makes you tickhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/nov/04/beautiful-genome-lone-frank-interview
Genetic tests can offer deep insights into your future health. But would you really want to know?<p>Danish writer Lone Frank trained as a research scientist in biotechnology before becoming an award-wining science journalist. In her latest book, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/data/book/scienceandnature/9781851688333/my-beautiful-genome-exposing-our-genetic-future-one-quirk-at-a-time" title=""><em>My Beautiful Genome</em></a>, she turns her science on herself by embracing the latest developments in personal genomics to find out what these tests can tell us about ourselves and whether it's a good idea to take them. She is the only female writer to have been shortlisted for the <a href="http://royalsociety.org/awards/science-books/shortlist/" title="">2012 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books</a>.</p><p><strong>Why did you decide to investigate your own genome?</strong><br />Genomics used to be like computers; for experts only. It was expensive. Nobody thought it would ever get out among the public. I heard about these first genome scans in 2008 and thought: this is momentous – now we can all get our own genetic information. We are at the beginning of a revolution where we can't really see where it's going, so I wanted to try it out for myself and see what it's like.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/nov/04/beautiful-genome-lone-frank-interview">Continue reading...</a>GeneticsBiologyScienceHealth & wellbeingHealth, mind and bodyMedical researchSun, 04 Nov 2012 00:05:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/nov/04/beautiful-genome-lone-frank-interviewRie NeuchsLone Frank: information she has learned about her genome to inform future health choices Photograph: Rie NeuchsRie NeuchsLone Frank: information she has learned about her genome to inform future health choices Photograph: Rie NeuchsCatherine de Lange2012-11-04T00:05:00ZChristina Warinner: it's a good thing our ancestors didn't floss their teethhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/jul/29/christina-warinner-archaeology-genetics-calculus
What fossilised dental plaque can reveal about ancient humans' diet, disease and environment could improve our future health<p><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/christinawarinner/" title="">Christina Warinner</a> is an archaeological geneticist. Based at <a href="http://evolution%C3%A4remedizin.ch/" title="">the Centre for Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich</a>, she's unlocking the secrets of the origins of disease by extracting DNA from fossilised dental plaque – the gunge that causes tooth decay.</p><p><strong>What is archaeological genetics? </strong></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/jul/29/christina-warinner-archaeology-genetics-calculus">Continue reading...</a>ArchaeologyGeneticsMedical researchHuman biologyEvolutionBiologySat, 28 Jul 2012 23:05:19 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/jul/29/christina-warinner-archaeology-genetics-calculusChristina WarinnerChristina Warinner examines a human skull.Christina WarinnerChristina Warinner examines a human skull.Interview by Mark Honigsbaum2012-07-28T23:05:19ZMark Pagel: culture is central to human successhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/feb/19/my-bright-idea-mark-pagel
Our ability to learn and transmit ideas has been vital in our rise to dominance on Earth<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/data/author/mark-d-pagel" title="">Mark Pagel</a> is head of the Evolution Laboratory at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading. He has travelled the world studying evolution and the spread of cultures. He is also the author of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/data/book/society/9781846140150/wired-for-culture-the-natural-history-of-human-cooperation" title=""><em>Wired for Culture: The Natural History of Human Cooperation</em></a>, in which he argues that human culture has surpassed genes in determining who we are and how we live.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/feb/19/my-bright-idea-mark-pagel">Continue reading...</a>EvolutionScienceGeneticsBiologySun, 19 Feb 2012 00:05:54 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/feb/19/my-bright-idea-mark-pagelKaren Robinson/ObserverMark Pagel, photographed in his home in Oxford. Photograph: Karen Robinson for the ObserverKaren Robinson/ObserverMark Pagel, photographed in his home in Oxford. Photograph: Karen Robinson for the ObserverIan Tucker2012-02-19T00:05:54ZThomas Hills: Why human intelligence isn't evolving fasterhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/jan/08/thomas-hills-evolutionary-intelligence
Psychologist Thomas Hills explains the evolutionary trade-offs in increasing intelligence<p>Thomas Hills is an associate professor of psychology at Warwick University. Along with Ralph Hertwig from Basel University he recently published a paper entitled <a href="http://cdp.sagepub.com/content/20/6.toc" title="">&quot;Why Aren't We Smarter Already: Evolutionary Trade-Offs and Cognitive Enhancement&quot;</a>.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/jan/08/thomas-hills-evolutionary-intelligence">Continue reading...</a>PsychologyEvolutionBiologyScienceSun, 08 Jan 2012 00:05:15 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/jan/08/thomas-hills-evolutionary-intelligenceInterview by Ian Tucker2012-01-08T00:05:15ZBenjamin D Charlton: for koalas, size mattershttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/nov/06/koala-mating-calls-benjamin-charlton
Humans use their descended larynx to speak, while koalas<br /> make mating calls that exaggerate male potency<p><a href="http://homepage.univie.ac.at/benjamin.charlton/" title="">Benjamin D Charlton</a> is a post-doctoral research biologist at the University of Vienna. His area of research is the vocalisations of mammals, particularly their role in mating. His work has mainly focused on red deer, giant pandas and koalas.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/nov/06/koala-mating-calls-benjamin-charlton">Continue reading...</a>Animal behaviourBiologyZoologyScienceAustralia newsSun, 06 Nov 2011 00:05:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/nov/06/koala-mating-calls-benjamin-charltonimagebroker/AlamyA koala in a eucalyptus tree, South Australia. Photograph: imagebroker/Alamyimagebroker/AlamyA koala in a eucalyptus tree, South Australia. Photograph: imagebroker/AlamyInterview by Ian Tucker2011-11-06T00:05:02ZPhilippe Froguel: A 'lean gene' causes thinnesshttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/sep/11/thinness-lean-gene-philippe-froguel
Philippe Froguel says genetic abnormality, rather than psychological factors, is often the cause of extreme skinniness<p>Professor Philippe Froguel holds a chair in genomic medicine at Imperial College London. He began his career in Paris, and in 1992 identified the type 2 diabetes gene – the first evidence that the disease was due to pancreatic dysfunction. Eighty per cent of diabetic patients are obese, and this prompted Froguel to study extreme obesity. His latest research, published in <em>Nature</em>, focuses on the existence of a &quot;skinny&nbsp;gene&quot;.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/sep/11/thinness-lean-gene-philippe-froguel">Continue reading...</a>GeneticsObesitySocietyBiologyScienceSat, 10 Sep 2011 23:22:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/sep/11/thinness-lean-gene-philippe-froguelAndy Hall/ObserverProfessor Philippe Froguel, who in 1992 was the first person to identify the type 2 diabetes gene. Photograph: Andy Hall for the ObserverAndy Hall/ObserverProfessor Philippe Froguel, who in 1992 was the first person to identify the type 2 diabetes gene. Photograph: Andy Hall for the ObserverInterview by Ian Tucker2011-09-10T23:22:07ZLee Cronin: 'Aliens could be made from iron'http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/aug/28/aliens-iron-evolution-lee-cronin
Lee Cronin explains the potential benefits of evolving inorganic materials<p>Lee Cronin is the Gardiner professor of chemistry at the University of Glasgow. He also runs the Cronin Group, which is involved in work to &quot;construct complex functional molecular architectures that are not based on biologically derived building blocks&quot;. Earlier this year, he gave a talk at <a href="http://conferences.ted.com/TEDGlobal2011/" title="">TEDGlobal</a> in Edinburgh.</p><p><strong>What is inorganic biology?</strong></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/aug/28/aliens-iron-evolution-lee-cronin">Continue reading...</a>Alien lifeEvolutionCraig VenterBiologyChemistryScienceSat, 27 Aug 2011 23:06:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/aug/28/aliens-iron-evolution-lee-croninMurdo Macleod/Murdo MacLeodLee Cronin is attempting to animate inorganic matter through evolution. Photograph: Murdo MacleodMurdo Macleod/Murdo MacLeodLee Cronin is attempting to animate inorganic matter through evolution. Photograph: Murdo MacleodInterview by Ian Tucker2011-08-27T23:06:00ZJulian Ma: I'm growing antibodies in tobacco plants to help prevent HIVhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/aug/14/julian-ma-pharming-tobacco-hiv
GM plant proteins can hugely reduce the cost of new drugs, says professor who has got go-ahead to test HIV antibody on humans<p>Julian Ma is joint head of the infection and immunity research centre at St George's Hospital Medical School in London. He specialises in genetically modifying plants to produce useful drugs, a process called pharming, which he hopes will bring cheaper drugs to the developing world. His Pharma-Planta project was recently given permission by the UK medical regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, to carry out human trials of a monoclonal antibody, grown in tobacco plants, that can be used to prevent HIV&nbsp;infection.</p><p><strong>How is a regular drug made?</strong></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/aug/14/julian-ma-pharming-tobacco-hiv">Continue reading...</a>DrugsPlantsMedical researchGMBiologyScienceSocietyEnvironmentSat, 13 Aug 2011 23:05:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/aug/14/julian-ma-pharming-tobacco-hivFrank Baron/GuardianProfessor Julian Ma is pharming tobacco to find an antibody to HIV. Above, surrounded by GM plants at the Medical School of St Georges Hospital, London.
Photograph: Frank Baron for the GuardianFrank Baron/GuardianProfessor Julian Ma is pharming tobacco to find an antibody to HIV. Above, surrounded by GM plants at the Medical School of St Georges Hospital, London.
Photograph: Frank Baron for the GuardianAlok Jha2011-08-13T23:05:00ZBilingual brains are more healthy | Ellen Bialystokhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/jun/12/ellen-bialystok-bilingual-brains-more-healthy
Looking at Alzheimer's patients, Canadian neuroscientist Ellen Bialystok finds that people who speak two languages cope significantly better with the disease<p>Ellen Bialystok is a cognitive neuroscientist whose research has shown that speaking two or more languages on a regular basis from a young age can have a positive effect on the brain. Not only does it enhance cognitive abilities, being bilingual can also delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Bialystok, 62, is a distinguished research professor of psychology at York University in Toronto, Canada. Last year, she was awarded a $100,000 <a href="http://www.canadacouncil.ca/prizes/killam/" title="Killam">Killam</a> prize for her contributions to the social sciences.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/jun/12/ellen-bialystok-bilingual-brains-more-healthy">Continue reading...</a>LanguageNeuroscienceAgeingBiologyScienceSat, 11 Jun 2011 23:05:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/jun/12/ellen-bialystok-bilingual-brains-more-healthySarah Lee/GuardianNeuroscientist Ellen Bialystok says bilingual children have enhanced cognitive abilities. Above, Urdu language class in east London. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the GuardianSarah Lee/GuardianNeuroscientist Ellen Bialystok says bilingual children have enhanced cognitive abilities. Above, Urdu language class in east London. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the GuardianKillian Fox2011-06-11T23:05:41ZJames Collins: A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go downhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/may/22/my-bright-idea-james-collins
Bioengineer James Collins has discovered that taking antibiotics with sugar may increase their power to tackle persistent infections<p>James Collins is a professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. A former Rhodes Scholar, he has been the recipient of many scientific honours including, in 2003, becoming the first bioengineer to receive a MacArthur Foundation &quot;genius award&quot;.</p><p>He recently published a paper that showed how taking antibiotics with certain sugars could improve their effectiveness against stubborn&nbsp;infections.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/may/22/my-bright-idea-james-collins">Continue reading...</a>Medical researchBiochemistry and molecular biologyBiologyChemistryEngineeringScienceSat, 21 May 2011 23:04:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/may/22/my-bright-idea-james-collinsPRJames Collins: 'Unfortunately, resistance happens everywhere. Basically it's their genomes against our wits.'PRJames Collins, Boston University professor of biomedical engineering.Ian Tucker2011-05-21T23:04:03ZKevin Nelson: 'Near-death experiences reveal how our brains work'http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/mar/13/kevin-nelson-near-death-experience
Kevin Nelson studies near-death experiences in an effort to find out how the brain responds to crises<p>In the 19th century, scholar John Addington Symonds had a peculiar experience while under the influence of chloroform and laughing gas. He spoke of feeling near death, that his soul was aware of God, who streamed in like light upon him. &quot;My whole consciousness seemed brought into one point of absolute conviction,&quot; he wrote later. &quot;I cannot describe the ecstasy I felt.&quot; The intensity of the experience faded when Symonds came to, and he plunged into a despair so deep he cried to his surgeons: &quot;Why would you not let me die?&quot;</p><p>Symonds was an exceptional case but Kevin Nelson believes near-death experiences are not so uncommon. According to his research, the leading cause of near-death experience is fainting, and upwards of a third of us faint at some time. Some 18&nbsp;million Americans claim to have had the experience. When it happens, physiological changes in our brains produce strange sensations, of seeing a light at the end of tunnel, of life flashing before our eyes, or perhaps an out-of-body experience.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/mar/13/kevin-nelson-near-death-experience">Continue reading...</a>NeuroscienceBiologyScienceChemistrySun, 13 Mar 2011 00:05:14 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/mar/13/kevin-nelson-near-death-experienceMark CornelisonDr Kevin Nelson, a leading proponent of brain-based theories for the near-death experience. Photograph: Mark CornelisonMark CornelisonDr Kevin Nelson, a leading proponent of brain-based theories for the near-death experience. Photograph: Mark CornelisonIan Sample2011-03-13T00:05:14ZJay Keasling: 'We can use synthetic biology to make jet fuel'http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/feb/27/jay-keasling-synthetic-biology-diesel
Jay Keasling has already created anti-malarial drugs from yeast. Now he is working on a replacement for jet fuel and diesel<p>In 1974, Waclaw Szybalski, a cancer specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, described a radical vision of the future. He foresaw a world where scientists had mastered biology to the point of creating life from scratch. His prediction was not far off the mark. Today, &quot;synthetic biology&quot; – the phrase was coined by Szybalski – is one of the most exciting avenues of modern science. Research on artificial life is under way; synthetic viruses a reality. But the swift progress of the field has raised hopes and fears in equal measure. While some argue that the work points the way to green energy and greater food production, others fear synthetic bugs might escape from the lab and spark a catastrophe.</p><p>There is no doubt that synthetic biology is delivering. One of the leading lights in the field is Jay Keasling, a professor of bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley and CEO of the US Department of Energy's Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI). Five years ago, he created yeast cells that eat sugar and convert it into a frontline drug for malaria. It was more than a neat laboratory trick. A new facility being built in Italy will put the bugs to good use and make the drug artemisinin, quickly and cheaply. With each dose expected to cost around 15p, Keasling's bugs could save the lives of millions. Now he is switching his attention to finding a replacement for jet fuel and diesel.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/feb/27/jay-keasling-synthetic-biology-diesel">Continue reading...</a>Energy researchMicrobiologyBiologyEnergyScienceEnvironmentSynthetic biologySun, 27 Feb 2011 00:05:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/feb/27/jay-keasling-synthetic-biology-dieselRoy Kaltschmidt/Lawrence Berkeley Nat'l LabJay Keasling believes he can create alternatives to diesel and jet fuel using synthetic biology. Photograph: Roy Kaltschmidt/Lawrence Berkeley Nat'l LabRoy Kaltschmidt/Lawrence Berkeley Nat'l LabJay Keasling believes he can create alternatives to diesel and jet fuel using synthetic biology. Photograph: Roy Kaltschmidt/Lawrence Berkeley Nat'l LabIan Sample2011-02-27T00:05:00ZPieter Hoff: Teach plants to grow in arid places | Discoverhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/nov/28/bright-idea-pieter-hoff-agriculture
With the world struggling to meet the food needs of its soaring population, this grower's invention helps saplings thrive in harsh conditions<p>Inventor Pieter Hoff retired from the lily and tulip export business in 2003 to develop a product that he thinks can help save mankind as the world's population soars: a contraption called <a href="http://www.groasis.com/page/uk/index.php" title="">the Groasis Waterboxx</a>, a plant incubator that doesn't need irrigating and which could help make fertile again the 70% of the world's arid and semi-arid lands whose productivity has been hit by deforestation and overfarming.</p><p>Earlier this month, the 57-year old Dutchman <a href="http://www.popsci.com/bown/2010/product/aquapro-holland-groasis-waterboxx" title="">won <em>Popular Science</em> magazine's award for the best invention of 2010</a>, beating 119 contenders, including Apple's iPad and the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid supercar.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/nov/28/bright-idea-pieter-hoff-agriculture">Continue reading...</a>AgricultureScienceFoodEnvironmentBiologyEthical and green livingEthical businessGlobal developmentPoliticsSun, 28 Nov 2010 00:02:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/nov/28/bright-idea-pieter-hoff-agricultureJohn B. Carnett /PRPieter Hoff with his Groasis Waterboxx in Napa Valley, California. Photograph: John B. CarnettJohn B. Carnett /PRPieter Hoff with his Groasis Waterboxx at Napa V Valley, California. Photograph: John B. CarnettCaspar Llewellyn Smith2010-11-28T00:02:01ZMy bright idea: Kevin Kellyhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/oct/24/my-bright-idea-kevin-kelly
'Digital prophet' Kevin Kelly says we are experiencing the most significant period in human history since the invention of language<p><a href="http://www.kk.org/" title="">Kevin Kelly</a> is a former editor of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_Earth_Catalog" title=""><em>Whole Earth Catalog</em></a> and co-founder of <em>Wired</em> magazine, where he remains editor-at-large. He has been an irrepressible prophet of our digital future for 40 years. His most influential book was <em>Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems and the Economic World</em> (1995) – mandatory reading for all the actors in <em>The Matrix</em>. His latest book marks a development of such thinking. In <em>What Technology Wants</em> (newly published in the US by Viking), Kelly sees technology as an extension of evolutionary life, a selfish system with its own urges and desires. Kelly takes technology in its broadest sense to include all invention, including language and culture. Some of the things that technology wants are diversity, beauty and complexity. Technology may be, Kelly writes, &quot;as much a reflection of the divine as nature is&quot;. As well as being a devoted evolutionist, Kelly is a Christian. He is 58. He lives just outside San Francisco.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/oct/24/my-bright-idea-kevin-kelly">Continue reading...</a>InternetTechnologyEvolutionBiologyScienceChristianitySat, 23 Oct 2010 23:05:40 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/oct/24/my-bright-idea-kevin-kellywww.kk.orgKevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired magazine. Photograph: www.kk.orgwww.kk.orgKevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired magazine. Photograph: www.kk.orgTim Adams2010-10-23T23:05:40ZMy bright idea: Neanderthals could show compassionhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/oct/10/bright-idea-neanderthals-evolution
Our closest ancient relatives cared for their sick and the elderly much as we humans do, says Penny Spikins<p>Dr Penny Spikins is a young archaeologist at the University of York who focuses her research on social and cognitive evolution and prehistoric social dynamics, writing across a diverse range of subjects including the role of prestigious leaders and the occurrence of autism in past societies.In her new book, <a href="http://www.blurb.com/books/1628917" title=""><em>The Prehistory of Compassion</em></a>, written with researchers Holly Rutherford and Andy Needham, she rejects the popular portrayal of Neanderthals as simple, unfeeling brutes and suggests that our closest ancient relatives may well have demonstrated a level of compassion that would put many modern humans to shame, caring for the infirm and the vulnerable for years at a time in organised groups.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/oct/10/bright-idea-neanderthals-evolution">Continue reading...</a>EvolutionScienceBiologySat, 09 Oct 2010 23:06:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/oct/10/bright-idea-neanderthals-evolutionAction Press/Rex FeaturesA model of an elderly Neanderthal man on display in the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann, Germany. Photograph: Action Press/Rex FeaturesAction Press/Rex FeaturesA model of an elderly Neanderthal man on display in the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann, Germany. Photograph: Action Press/Rex FeaturesChris Noble2010-10-09T23:06:11ZMy bright idea: evolution and empathyhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/sep/19/evolution-frans-de-waal-primatologist
Kindness and co-operation have played a crucial role in raising humans to the top of the evolutionary tree, argues Frans de Waal<p>Most popular accounts of evolution stress the innate selfishness of the process. Species change because individuals are driven by a blind urge to thrive at the expense of others, it is claimed. Frans de Waal begs to differ.</p><p>The 61-year-old head of the primate behaviour department at Emory University, Atlanta, believes the success of <em>Homo sapiens</em> rests primarily with our capacity for empathy and our urge to understand and appreciate others. We possess an innate sensitivity to the emotional status of other members of our species. Indeed, this understanding is possessed by most mammals, particularly primates, but especially by humans. We have thrived on the milk of human kindness, says de Waal.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/sep/19/evolution-frans-de-waal-primatologist">Continue reading...</a>EvolutionBiologyScienceSat, 18 Sep 2010 23:05:46 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/sep/19/evolution-frans-de-waal-primatologistRobin McKie2010-09-18T23:05:46ZMy bright idea: Timothy Taylorhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/sep/05/my-bright-idea-timothy-taylor
From the moment our ancestors began making primitive tools, Homo sapiens and technology have existed symbiotically, argues the author of The Artificial Ape. Without it, we would be very different creatures<p>Timothy Taylor is an anthropologist and archaeologist based at Bradford University. In his new book, <em>The Artificial Ape</em>, he argues that the moment our apemen ancestors began chipping at lumps of stone to create their first tools, they released a force – technology – that has played a pivotal role in shaping the human species. Such innovations have altered the way we nurture our offspring, prepare our food, use our strength and establish cultures. We did not invent technology, this 50-year-old scientist argues. Technology invented us.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/sep/05/my-bright-idea-timothy-taylor">Continue reading...</a>EvolutionBiologyScienceAnthropologyTechnologySat, 04 Sep 2010 23:04:59 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/sep/05/my-bright-idea-timothy-taylorBecca Wright/PRBrian drain: archaeologist and anthropologist Timothy Taylor says that with the development of powerful computers ‘we are now outsourcing our intelligences at a greater and greater speed’. Photograph: Becca WrightBecca Wright/PRBrian drain: archaeologist and anthropologist Timothy Taylor says that with the development of powerful computers ‘we are now outsourcing our intelligences at a greater and greater speed’. Photograph: Becca WrightRobin McKie2010-09-04T23:04:59ZMy bright idea: Dennis Shasha: Nature can improve our computershttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/aug/22/my-bright-idea-dennis-shasha
The professor of computer science believes the next great leap in computing will be programming machines to behave in almost evolutionary ways<p>Robots on Mars that can fix themselves and computers built from DNA: not science fiction but the work of scientists at the forefront of computing. Dennis Shasha, 55, is a professor of computer science at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and the author, with Cathy Lazere, of <em>Natural Computing: DNA, Quantum Bits and the Future of Smart Machines</em> (Norton), a survey of research in fields as disparate as engineering and medicine. This New Yorker sees an emerging common theme: that the future of computing lies in a synthesis with nature.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/aug/22/my-bright-idea-dennis-shasha">Continue reading...</a>RobotsTechnologyEngineeringComputingScienceMarsBiologySat, 21 Aug 2010 23:06:13 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/aug/22/my-bright-idea-dennis-shashaNubar Alexanian/PRRodney Brooks's Genghis was built at MIT in the 80s to demonstrate the efficacy of sending numerous small robots to Mars. Photograph: Nubar AlexanianNubar Alexanian/PRRodney Brooks's Genghis was built at MIT in the 80s to demonstrate the efficacy of sending numerous small robots to Mars. Photograph: Nubar AlexanianCaspar Llewellyn Smith2010-08-21T23:06:13ZMy bright idea: Aubrey de Grey on living longerhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/aug/01/aubrey-de-grey-ageing-research
If we can stop the physical deterioration that comes with age, molecular biologist Aubrey de Grey sees no reason why human beings shouldn't live to be 1,000<p>With his beard and robust opinions, there's something of the Old Testament prophet about Aubrey de Grey. But the 47-year-old gerontologist (who studies the process of ageing) says his belief that he might live to the very ripe old age of 1,000 is founded not on faith but science. De Grey studied computer science at Cambridge University, but became interested in the problem of ageing more than a decade ago and is the co-founder of the Sens (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence) Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in the US.</p><p><strong>What's so wrong with getting&nbsp;old?</strong></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/aug/01/aubrey-de-grey-ageing-research">Continue reading...</a>AgeingScienceAubrey De GreyBiochemistry and molecular biologyGeneticsBiologySat, 31 Jul 2010 23:02:53 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/aug/01/aubrey-de-grey-ageing-researchRoland Kemp / Rex Features/Roland Kemp / Rex FeaturesGood innings: Aubrey de Grey wants to help people live to a very ripe old age. Photograph: Roland Kemp / Rex FeaturesRoland Kemp / Rex Features/Roland Kemp / Rex FeaturesGood innings: Aubrey de Grey wants to help people live to a very ripe old age. Photograph: Roland Kemp / Rex FeaturesCaspar Llewellyn Smith2010-07-31T23:02:53Z